Chicago Area Man Safe After Ship Is Hit By Pirates

[Buzzard]

cbs2chicago.com

 

Chicago Area Man Safe After Ship Is Hit By Pirates

Liberty Sun Was Hit By Rockets, Bullets

INDIAN OCEAN (CBS)

 

 

 

A man from west suburban Batavia is safe Wednesday morning, after the American cargo ship he was on was hit by Somali pirates off the coast of east Africa.

 

Thomas Urbik, 26, e-mailed his parents in Wheaton as the attack was underway. His ship, the Liberty Sun, was carrying food aid to Mombasa, Kenya, with roughly 20 Americans on board.

 

"We are under attack by pirates," Urbik wrote in the frantic e-mail, as quoted in the Daily Herald. "We are being hit by rockets. Also bullets. We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. a rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire too but put out. Navy is on the way and helos and ships are coming. I'll try to send you another message soon. got to go now. I love you mom and dad and all my brothers and family."

 

The attack came on the heels of Sunday's final resolution of the Maersk Alabama incident in which Capt. Phillips was freed by Navy SEALS who killed his captors.

 

Urbik's family became anxious about their son's safety as they heard about the Maersk Alabama attack, even before they got the news that their son's ship was also targeted, said Urbik's father, Mike Urbik.

 

"We'd been monitoring the situation for quite some time because of what happened to the Maersk, and we knew he was leaving Sudan and heading to Kenya right through that area – in fact, he'd e-mailed us the evening before that the Navy was monitoring them, and he was about 20 miles from where the Maersk Alabama was taken, and we thought, 'OK, the Navy's on it, he's in good shape, and we don't have to worry too much," Mike Urbik said, "and then later that day, we got the other e-mail that he was under attack."

 

Traumatic though the e-mail was, Mike Urbik said he was glad to have communication with his son.

 

"The good news was we got the e-mails in a matter of a few minutes, so we didn't have a lot of agony like Captain Phillips' family did, and obviously, my wife was very, very upset. She sent me the e-mail at work. I ran home , and by the time I got home, the other e-mail had come in, and that's the last we heard of him," Mike Urbik said. "We'd been e-mailing him, trying to figure out what else is going to happen, but hopefully today when he hits Mombasa this afternoon, we'll hear from him and find out exactly what happened."

 

Thomas Urbik's mother, Katy Urbik, said her son had been e-mailing her updates on the voyage every 36 to 48 hours.

 

She was nervous as he told her Sunday the vessel was heading into pirate-patrolled waters, but somewhat relieved when he told her early Tuesday the crew was reporting its position to the Navy every six hours. Then came the e-mail that the ship was under attack, which she said "stopped her heart."

 

Katy Urbik said she was "very relieved and grateful to God for protecting him and to our Navy, and that we come from a country that can respond like that and protect our citizens."

 

Thomas Urbik graduated from Texas A&M Maritime Academy and has been a merchant marine for two years, Mike Urbik said. But in those two years, Thomas Urbik has already been around the world, and was even in Karachi when martial law was declared in the Pakistani metropolis, Mike Urbik said.

 

Thomas Urbik is a member of the Marine Engineer Benefit Union and has been on the Liberty Sun since Feb. 13. The Liberty Sun was carrying carrying rice, cooking oil, plywood and other supplies, Katy Urbik said.

 

The Liberty Sun, owned by Liberty Maritime Corporation of Lake Success on Long Island, was able to continue underway after the pirates gave up their pursuit. The ship dropped some five or six miles behind as U.S. Navy ships, including the USS Bainbridge steamed to the rescue.

 

But at least one of the RPGs did puncture the skin of the ship, causing a small hole and fire that was put out.

 

Since the Maersk Alabama attack, Somali pirates have successfully seized four ships and taken 60 hostages. Experts on the chaotic conditions inside Somalia told CBS 2 sister station WCBS-TV, New York, that their defiance is not unexpected.

 

"There is no government; there is no infrastructure. They have nothing to lose," Africa analyst Salim Amin told WCBS-TV.

 

Liberty Maritime Corporation issued a statement Tuesday night:

 

"We are grateful and pleased that no one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe. We have communicated with the families of the crew to inform them of these developments. We commend the entire crew for its professionalism and poise under fire."

 

Lou Young of WCBS-TV, New York, contributed to this report.

(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

[c-rock]

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0409/21245.html

little-known congressional power could help the federal government keep the Somali pirates in check — and possibly do it for a discount price.

 

Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) and a growing number of national security experts are calling on Congress to consider using letters of marque and reprisal, a power written into the Constitution that allows the United States to hire private citizens to keep international waters safe.

 

Used heavily during the Revolution and the War of 1812, letters of marque serve as official warrants from the government, allowing privateers to seize or destroy enemies, their loot and their vessels in exchange for bounty money.

 

The letters also require would-be thrill seekers to post a bond promising to abide by international rules of war.

 

In a YouTube video earlier this week, Paul suggested lawmakers consider issuing letters, which could relieve American naval ships from being the nation’s primary pirate responders — a free-market solution to make the high seas safer for cargo ships.

 

“I think if every potential pirate knew this would be the case, they would have second thoughts because they could probably be blown out of the water rather easily if those were the conditions,” Paul said.

 

Theoretically, hiring bounty hunters would also be a cheaper option.

[Buzzard]

It's doubtful that Obama will agree to this. His administration has labeled the pirates as criminals - not enemy combatants. And he's also stated that the United States is not, nor ever will be, waging war against Islam. And with the pirates being muslim, he certainly won't put a bounty on their heads.

 

This is why he's asking for help from all the nations of the world. He wants a coalition of countries to share in the responsibility of dealing with the pirates. But as always, it's mainly our problem now - and escalating

[bhannah]

It's doubtful that Obama will agree to this. His administration has labeled the pirates as criminals - not enemy combatants. And he's also stated that the United States is not, nor ever will be, waging war against Islam. And with the pirates being muslim, he certainly won't put a bounty on their heads.

 

This is why he's asking for help from all the nations of the world. He wants a coalition of countries to share in the responsibility of dealing with the pirates. But as always, it's mainly our problem now - and escalating

heck I have a boat give me a few hard points and a .50 maybe a tow and I am in..

[c-rock]

Get something Ocean Size, with a couple of heavy weapons onboard, it could be a good living.

 

I think a couple of 50s, or even a 20-30mm gun would be nice. Couple of MANPADS, and a couple of Anti-ship missles wouldnt hurt either.

 

Vessel would have to carry/launch either small airplanes, or even small speed boats to be effective. With a plane with rockets, and small boats with 50s to support and flank would be helpful too.